Super agent Ammi-Joan Paquette pitch competition on YAtopia

Agent Pitch contest on my Group Blog - YAtopia

Don't post here, the comp is at - YAtopia

Agent Pitch Contest!!

Okay, here is the post you've all been waiting for! (or maybe not, but you should be excited!!).

Super agent Ammi-Joan Paquette has so kindly offered to host a pitch contest - our first, but definitely not last - on YAtopia. And seeing as she's currently closed to submissions, this is an opportunity you simply CANNOT miss out on.

It's really quite simple what you have to do. Ready?

1) Be a follower of the blog. Nice and easy.

2) Blog about this contest and include a link with your entry. If you don't have a blog, you may tweet or make a facebook status. But we prefer blog.

3) Create a TWO SENTENCE pitch. And not a massively long run-on sentence either. Two concise sentences that will hook Joan to your book and have her desperate to read more.

4) Include the opening line of your manuscript.

5) Manuscripts that you submit should be completed. I leave it up to you whether you decide to submit a half finished manuscript. You'll have to deal with it SHOULD Joan request you send her the full.

6) This contest will be capped at either 150 entries OR will end midnight on the 24th March.

7) Winners to be announced (along with prizes) on 31st March.

8) Only childrens and young adult categories will be accepted. Sorry!

What you need to post on YAtopia:

Name:
Email:
Story Name:
Genre:
Blog/Twitter/Facebook link:
2 Sentence Pitch:
Opening sentence:

WriteOnCon and their Fab prizes

Oh My Goodness. The most awesome conference every! Why? Because it's free if you have access to the Internet. Yep - that's it. No travel, no fees.

And there are Prizes!

Right now you can enter to win letter critiques from:

Jill Corcoran with Herman Agency Inc.
Ginger Clark with Curtis Brown LTD
Tina Wexler with ICM
Beth Fleisher with Clear Sailing Creatives
Marietta Zacker with Nancy Gallt Literary
Jennifer Rofe with Andrea Brown Literary
Sarah Davies with Greenhouse Literary

Just go to - http://writeoncon.com/ for more details!


About WriteOnCon in their on words:

WriteOnCon is an Online Children’s Writers Conference (rated MC-18, for Main Characters under 18 only) created by writers, for writers.


Our first Annual Conference was held: Tuesday – Thursday, August 10 – 12, 2010

Where: http://www.writeoncon.com

Cost: Free!

Who: That’s the best part—it’s for EVERYONE!

Attendees don’t need to take time off work, travel, or spend a truckload of money. They can enjoy the conference from the convenience of their own homes, for free—and the schedule is designed around working hours. (Transcripts are also available of the entire conference, should anyone have to miss part of it.) And everything for the conference takes place within this website, which means everyone with basic Internet access will be able to participate in all aspects of the conference—no additional software or technology required.

During the conference, keynote addresses, agent panels, and lectures are presented as blogs, vlogs, moderated chats, webinars, podcasts, and livestreaming. There is also a critique forum, where participants can post query letters and writing samples to receive helpful feedback and comments from their peers and industry professionals. And, as if that weren’t exciting enough, there are also daily contests, giving random winners everything from books to personalized critiques from agents.

It’s everything great about a writer’s conference, without any of the cost or inconvenience. Check back soon for our 2011 annual conference dates. And don’t miss our Monthly Live Events in the meantime!

Don't be a Twitter Twit

Twitter is a fun playground for many authors, agents and editors. They're a very open and giving community, willing to participate in designated Twitter chats where you can ask questions about the industry, trends and anything else that your heart desires relating to the topic.

This fab group also respond to individual tweets in you may have sent them - as long as it's not a creepy tweet or an unsolicited pitch.

Following agents and editors on Twitter allows you to get a glimpse at their personality and an idea if you match up personality wise, which can be important for the agent/author/editor relationship to work.

However there can be a pitfall here. You, and the hundred of other aspiring authors following them, can come to feel like you know these people and expect that when you query them they will automatically offer you representation because you have exactly what they are looking for (according to their tweets).

So here's some things to remember:

• It's not cool to pitch via Twitter to an agent or an author unless they are holding a specific contest that requires it.
• Getting on well with an agent/author on Twitter will not guarantee you'll get a publishing deal.
• Don't rant on Twitter bagging out an agent/editor for rejecting your work. It'll get back to them and score you a bad rep - hello google alerts!
• Remember that the writing industry is subjective. A rejection doesn't mean that your work is not good, it just means that they didn't feel strongly enough about the project you're querying on to take you on (a friend of mine is getting published and scored her agent on around the fourth manuscript she'd queried her with - don't give up, keep writing).
• You can follow these guys on Twitter, but it doesn't mean they want to friend you on Facebook.

Take advantage of what Twitter has to offer writers, but keep it real and be cool about how you engage agents, editors and authors in that space.

Another amazing contest

Aspiring author, Chanelle Gray -  represented by dream agent Victoria Marini & fellow YAtopian - is holding a Twitter pitch contest:

http://chanellegray.blogspot.com/2011/03/twitter-pitch-contest.html

1) The contest is now live!


2) It will be capped at the first 75 entries or, if we don't get 75 entries, it'll cut off at Midnight GMT on the 7th March.

3) You have to be a follower of my blog to enter.

4) You have to blog about this contest and post your link along with the twitter pitch. (If you don't have a blog, then Twitter or Facebook will do. But only if you don't have a blog - not instead).

5) Alongside your 140 twitter pitch (you'll be disqualified if it's longer) you'll be asked to submit the first three sentences of your manuscript - so make sure they're polished and ready to go!

6) Once the contest opens, it'll be first come first serve to enter. Anything after 75 entries won't be counted.

Remember, Michael Carr is looking for any age any genre. And works should be completed if he was to request the full manuscript, but you may take the risk without a finished manuscript if you choose.

Good luck! And don't forget to include a link to your blog post/twitter/facebook with your entry. And I'll allow posts to be made any time before you actually comment here. Including the same day. Please use the format as below:


Your name:

Title:

Genre & Age:

Twitter pitch:

3 Sentences:

Blog post:

So what are you waiting for! Get over to Chanelle's post and enter!

My "It was a Dark and Stormy Blogfest Contest" entry

The wonderful Brenda Blake is holding a first line contest where writer's post their first lines in their blog and people critique them. Once the critiquing is done we post them back on her blog: http://brenleedrake.blogspot.com/2011/01/blogfest-contest-with-prizes-from-agent.html

Here's my entry for my novel Mishca, let me know your thoughts in the comments section by 9th February. Mishca was voted a 'Top Pick' on the YA writer's site Inkpop, like the Carrier of the Mark - the first book to be published off the site.

Name: Sharon Johnston
Title: Mishca
Genre: YA Speculative Fiction

I always knew that I was adopted; it was pretty obvious. 

The prize is a critique on part of a manuscript and query letter with fabulous agent, Weronika Janczuk, so fingers crossed.

So, hit me with your thoughts below.

If you are a participant in the contest as well, please leave a link to your blog in the comment so I can check yours out too.

Leigh's Legacy

If you haven't heard the hype about Leigh Fallon and her debut novel, Carrier of the Mark - where have you been?! Leigh Fallon is the first member of Inkpop to be given a publishing contract by HarperCollins.

For those of you who don't know, Inkpop is a YA writer's site. Members read each others work and vote on their favourites with a 'pick'. Each month the five favourite projects are awarded 'Top Pick' status and their work is read by a HC editor.

Leigh was the first inkie to be offered a contract. Rumour has it there is more to come, but for now we know that Leigh is the first, of hopefully many, in a new way for YA writers to be discovered.

So let's find out about Leigh's journey.

Tell us a bit about your writer’s experience prior to inkpop:

Honestly, I’ve had a short run in. I’ve been quite lucky that things have moved incredibly fast for me. I started writing in March 2009. The Carrier of the Mark was my first manuscript and I had it finished by the end of the summer 2009. As soon as I’d finished, like a complete rookie who hadn’t a clue how the publishing world worked, I sent my manuscript to a few agents in Ireland and two publishers in Ireland who accepted unsolicited manuscripts. I didn’t know what I expected. I didn’t really think I’d be published, I guess I was chancing my arm, hoping that something might come of it. Of course it didn’t. I tried a couple in the UK then the US (just for a laugh), but still no joy. Then I posted my manuscript online on a few writers’ websites, and in December of that 2009 I discovered Inkpop, uploaded The Carrier of the Mark. Four weeks later it was in the top five and got reviewed, and a couple of weeks after that, I had a publishing contract.


How did you get your agent? Did your success on Inkpop contribute to that?

Again for me it was a quick thing and done sort of back to front. I’d half heartedly tried getting an agent before, but I was just getting the usual generic ‘thanks but no thanks’ letters back. HarperCollins offered me the contract and I saw an opportunity to snag an agent of my choice. So I picked my top three agents and typed up an email explaining the situation and sent it out. Within a week I’d made up my mind to go with Tina Wexler of ICM. ICM is huge, an international, and a full service agency, and Tina Wexler is both lovely and talented. We clicked immediately. Having an offer of a published deal obviously helped in my securing Tina, but I like to think that if I didn’t have the HarperCollins deal that she would have eventually found me in her slush pile.

Do you think, if The Carrier of the Mark is a best seller (which I’m sure it will be), that agents and editors will take success on writing sites like inkpop more serious and why?

Oh God, I hope the Carrier of the Mark will be a best seller! Oh could you imagine? *drools*

Actually, this is quite a tough question. I think publishers take the writing web sites more seriously than the agents. Agents can cherry pick. They have thousands of manuscripts being chucked at them every day. It’s easy for them to be dismissive. I don’t blame them, I’d be the same. As far as I can tell, agents really need to click with a manuscript. They need to believe in the work... love it. It’s not enough just to have a manuscript that was loved by loads of people on a website; they need to connect with it. For them, it’s not just a case, oh it will sell. They want be in love with it too. Publishers need to sell a book, and in large numbers in an increasingly difficult market. Writing websites like Inkpop give your book punch, because it’s giving your book potential sales statistics. Unfortunately, to get that book with the super sales statistics to a publisher you need an agent... catch 22.

Tell us a bit about what you’re working on at the moment, apart from ensuring your twins don’t lock you out of the house again?

LOL. Those kids of mine are always plotting against me. I haven’t a hope of staying a few steps ahead of them. I’ve accepted my fate, now I’m waiting for the next twin assault.

On the book front, I’m nearly finished the first draft of the sequel to The Carrier of the Mark. And I have another one or two books in the pipeline for that series. I’m also working on a ghost story called Haunting Jenny. I’ve been working on a book for the adult market; it’s a sarcastic parenting guide. I’m having great fun with that.

What was your reaction when you:

a) Found out that you were going to be published by HC through Inkpop?

Screamed, cried, laughed, and scared a herd of cows out the back of the house while I ran around the garden in hysterics.

b) Landed your agent?

Screamed, laughed, felt ever so smug and self satisfied, and I’m sure I scared the cows again (poor things).

c) Saw your cover for the first time?

I believe I sat at my computer screen in shocked awe... I may even have shed a tear, and I know for certain I didn’t sleep a wink that night.

Have you been practicing your signature? And do you have an exercise program in place to strengthen your hand (I have a feeling you are going to end up with writer’s cramp)?

OMG! I never even thought about practicing my signature, but now you say it; I’ll get right on that. Now will I go for L Fallon or Leigh Fallon or just Leigh ummmm decisions decisions? LOL. And no, I’ve no exercise program in place yet, but I’ve had a couple of personal hand trainers suggested to me. This is a serious business you know.

Rapid Fire questions:

Zombie or Unicorn? Zombie

Night or Day? Day

Cinema or DVD? DVD
Joggers or flip-flops Flip-flops

Fringe or no fringe? No fringe

Batman or Superman? Batman


Thanks so much Leigh! I look forward to reading it.

Here is some links to find out more about Leigh and Inkpop.

http://www.leighfallon.com/
http://www.inkpop.com/
http://mashable.com/2011/01/31/inkpop/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4611175.Leigh_Fallon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do5pwy4ydSQ
http://www.yatopia.blogspot.com/

How writers, readers and publishing industry professional can help flood victims

I am a proud Queensland. But tonight, I am also a sad Queenslander. I've cried at the lives cut short. In particular the 4 year-old boy who somehow fell off a rescue boat into raging flood waters (with a life jacket on) and died. And the 13 year-old boy who insisted that a rescuer take his younger brother, and then was swept to his death seconds later.

(ignore the ad at the start! http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/national/-/watch/23792464/flash-floods-sweep-through-toowoomba/ and here's the link if you want to see more footage)

People are pulling together in this time of crisis, and here is a couple of ways you can help is you like to read (there's an e-book to buy), work in the publishing industry (donate yourself for auction) or want to work in the publishing industry (bid on the auction).

Here's more on it from the wonderful people who came up with the ideas.

Fable Croft's words - not mine:

This limited (only on sale until February 15, 2011) ebook edition is being sold as a fundraiser for Queensland Flood Relief Appeal. All donations will go to the Appeal.

After the Rain was commissioned in 2010 and is due for release in April 2011. However, in the face of the ongoing flood disaster in Queensland, the authors and I have pulled together this limited ebook version as a fundraiser. The authors have freely given their stories for this use.

All payments will go to the Flood Appeal, and we are leaving it up to you to decide how much you want to pay for the book. We recommend at least AUD$10.00, but all donations are gratefully received. We hope you enjoy the book and thank you for your support.

http://fablecroft.com.au/books/after-the-rain/after-the-rain-after-the-floods-limited-ebook-edition
 

Writers Auction 4 QLD Flood Appeal's words, not mine:

This page is administrated by Australian authors Fleur McDonald, Kate Gordon, Katrina Germein and Emily Gale.

All of the donations pledged on the FB page, or through email, will be collated before the auction begins and listed on a central site (still under construction). Following the conclusion of the auction authors will be asked to mail their donation to the winning bidder or contact them about a mentorship etc.

We encourage authors to be creative with their donations - author talks, phone calls to aspiring writers etc. Thanks to everyone for their interest and support.

Email: kgermein@gmail.com, katesgordon@gmail.com, fleur@fleurmcdonald.com

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Writers-Auction-4-Queensland-Flood-Appeal/126145554117564

The Time Travelers Wife: Book verses Film

Warning: There is spoilage below!

I really prefer to read a story before I see the film version. And I'm really glad I did it this way for The Time Travelers Wife.

Usually, I'm a speed reader. I can devour a 300+ pages book in 24 hours then be eagerly looking for what to read next. But not with The Time Travelers Wife. It was so gritty and emotionally raw. And the complexities! I forced myself to slow down and only read small parts at a time, stopping regularly to think about what I had just read. In the end it took me about a month to finish the book. It was like I didn't want the book to end and was prolonging our farewell.

My mother is currently in town visiting and I lent her a stack load of my books to pass the time. The Time Travelers Wife being one of them. I decided to have a girlie night with Mum and hired out the movie version for us to watch. As they always do, the book story was hacked and slashed. Big chunks of the plot and details were missing.

But you know what, it didn't spoil it for me. Even though they took out the bits that made the book such a harsh but amazing love story, not having those bits in was what made the movie work for me.

So I'll explain more what I mean.

Gomez & Clare
The Book
The whole Gomez/Clare relationship made the situation more real, more plausible for me. Everything was all sunshine and roses. Clare was human and made mistakes. Sleeping with her best friends guy, before she was finally reunited with Henry and out of grief after he died showed us she wasn't the perfect heroine. But she was emotional, in love and in need of someone to touch, even if she was consumed with thoughts of Henry. It explained so much of Gomez's behaviour towards Henry. The Gomez/Clare dynamic took us to some really private places and highlighted Clare's frailty.

The Movie
Gomez/Clare having slept together wasn't part of the movie. But we still saw Gomez being overly protective of Clare, insisting that she not marry Henry. I'm not sure if this behaviour would have been a bit off to people who hadn't read the book, but I was there thinking that he was only saying that because he wants back into her pants. We miss out on Charisse's self-doubt and relationships with Clare with the movie adaption, which is what I miss the most. But I didn't mind that removing the Gomez/Clare factor made the story cleaner and more of a fairytale.

Sex and Violence and other seedy stuff.
The Book
Sex plays a strong role in the book. It's actually part of the temporary "cure" for Henry's chrono-displacement. The more sex and exercise he has, the less he time travels. There is also the first sexual encounter between Henry and Clare before they are reunited on the same time-stream. To be honest I found these a but brutal. I wouldn't class myself as a prude, but sometimes the sex scenes made me squirm. In no way were they written like erotica. They were raw and real and animalistic with their physical attraction to each other.

The book has it's share of violence and law breaking. The scene where the boy from school is confronted is rather powerful. I found the ease at which Henry stole interesting and very realistic for the given situation.

The Movie
There was a lack of sex in the movie, which I was happy about sitting next to my mother while watching it, but I was also disappointed that they took away that emotional dynamic from the viewers. Like I said earlier, it makes the story more fairytale like (well more Hollywood), and I didn't mind not seeing the scenes. But I would have liked to have seen that passion in other ways.

The violence was toned down, possibly to ensure a friendlier rating. The scenes where Henry finds himself in trouble were brief. And the incident with the boy from school was completely removed - let's face it, threatening a teenager with a gun in a movie would not go down well with everyone.

Confronting Content
The Book
The ex, the alcohol, the amputation were some of the most confronting parts of the book. Henry is in self destruction mode when he and Clare's times get ready to align. He doesn't know that his love is waiting for him. Just as Gomez highlighted the human flaws in Clare, Ingrid and his alcohol self-medication highlighted them in Henry. The two of them were on a downward spiral together, but Clare pulled Henry out of it. He knew everything was going to be okay because Clare knew it. But Ingrid just knew she had lot him.

One of the hardest parts of the book for me to deal with was the loss of Henry's feet. I was still hoping for a happily ever after, despite the dark foreshadowing earlier in the book. The impact on their relationship and the implication on Henry's time travel, and him ultimately witnessing Ingrid's suicide, grounded the reader in the truth - this is a great love story, but it is not a fairytale love.

The Movie
Some lipstick is the only evidence of Ingrid. Like the Gomez/Clare saga, this has been erase to keep the focus on Henry and Clare. The only evidence of his alcohol issues comes more from his conversations with his father. I would have liked to have seen the self-destructive Henry.

I really liked how they dealt with the frostbite in the movie. The important thing was that he was immobile and he didn't have to lose his feet to achieve that. The results were just as powerful.

Overall
I equally enjoyed the book and the movie, each for very different reasons. I preferred the book over the movie in a lot of ways, but I got something out of the movie that I just didn't get in the book - knowing and waiting for a loved one to die. Maybe it's because I read the book before Dad died of cancer (I possibly read it before he was diagnosed). But I felt this kinship with the movie on this. The heartache of Alba and Clare knowing that his death is coming is an agonising wait. If I reread the book know, I would probably feel this too. But I saw the looks on their faces in my family in the lead-up to my father's death.

The ending of the movie also gave more hope than the book, which I won't spoil here just in case you haven't read/watched it (I know, I know - I've already given it away that he died). The endings are so very different for what they imply and I found more hope in the movie ending, but more true love in the book ending.

In movie form and book form, Henry and Clare go down as one of my favourite couples of all time. Thank you Audrey Niffienegger!

Something new is coming & you could win a copy of Paranormalcy & Blood Countess by being a part of it!

DJ DESMYTER
DJ is a proud writer of young adult paranormal-romance who suffers from Sexy New Idea Syndrome and currently writes from his bedroom. His novel HUNTED will be published by Pendrell Publishing in 2011. In addition to novel-writing, he is also a singer/songwriter and book blogger. His reviews and songs can be found on his site, DJ's Life in Fiction. As he continues to grow as a person and a reader, DJ hopes to continue growing as a writer and can't wait to see where his stories take him. Find HUNTED on Facebook and GoodReads!




 

LEIGH FALLON

Leigh was born in South Africa, raised in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Cork in her 20s. While living in beautiful Kinsale, Co Cork she discovered a love of writing. When Ireland's rich history and magical tales combined with Leigh's convent school upbringing, her brain became a breeding ground for inspiration. She writes mainly for the young adult market. Her debut novel, CARRIER OF THE MARK, is being published by HarperTeen and will be released in September 2011. You can check it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads.

Leigh has another two books in the Carrier series and a few other projects she's working on. She can be found lurking in cyberspace on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Inkpop, and many more. On the odd occasion when she steps back into reality, she spends her time with her husband and four children, sharing her time between her homes in Massachusetts and Ireland. You can find out more about Leigh at http://www.leighfallon.com/

Represented by: Tina Wexler - ICM (International Creative Management), New York.



CHANELLE GRAY

Chanelle Gray is a 23-year-old from London who enjoys a multitude of things, including reading, writing, shopping, and eating! Currently, she works for the Ministry of Justice, where she is the deputy manager of her team. There are no kiddies in her life yet, but she does have two naughty dogs and one adorable nephew, who she dotes on. Her current literary preferences include paranormal romances and all contemporary works. She has completed over eight novels, and spends any free time she has on completing more or reviewing any book she gets her hands on.

Her debut novel MY HEART BE DAMNED will be published in Fall 2012 by kNight Romance publishers. Add it to Goodreads here.

Chanelle blogs over at Beyond Words and also uses twitter, where she tweets about not only writing related matters, but anything that randomly comes to mind. She is represented by Victoria Marini of the Gelfman and Schneider Lit agency.


 

WENDY HIGGINS

Wendy Higgins is a former high school English teacher turned on-the-go mom. She lives with her husband, two children, and their mutt in Northern Virginia. Wendy earned a B.A. in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford University. An avid day-dreamer, she prefers to safely shake-up her stable life by escaping into literature and her own active imagination.

SWEET EVIL, Wendy's debut novel, is being published by HarperTeen in 2012. It came to her in a rush of inspiration when she was feeling disheartened about no longer teaching. Writing for Young Adults has given her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal years before adulthood. You can follow her writing journey on her personal blog and Twitter.

 

SHARON JOHNSTON (aka ME!)

Sharon is a corporate communication manager and a former journalist from Australia who writes in her spare time. SLEEPER is Sharon's first novel that she is currently querying. Although she normally writes about the strange and the weird, her first publication will be a general fiction short story call GROWTH as part of The Australian Literary Review's anthology THE BASICS OF LIFE.

Sharon loves YA, science-fiction, speculative fiction, paranormal and anything that comes from the deepest darkest parts of someone's mind. She draws inspiration from local writers who have made it in the tough Australian publishing industry such as Tara Moss, Kerri Arthurs, Karen Brooks and Emily Rodda.

Well-known for her fantastic taste in shoes, Sharon has actually been stalked by women wanting to know where she got her high heels from. She invites you to read her personal blog and she is a Twitter fiend so follow her @S_M_Johnston.

SARAH NICOLAS

Sarah is a twenty-something who currently lives in the Florida Keys with her family, four chihuahuas and one 50-lb wannabe chihuahua. Fantasy and Sci-Fi are her favorite genres, but she loves all YA - especially anything written by Laurie Halse Anderson. Sarah believes that some boys are worth trusting, all girls have power, and dragons are people too.

Sarah’s a proud member of the Gator Nation and has a BS in Mechanical Engineering (That’s a “BS ME” for those of you keeping track) with a minor in Sales. Volunteering and non-profit work is important to her and she's always raising money for one cause or another. She interns with a small publisher, reading manuscripts.

She also blogs at http://www.sarahnicolas.com/ and is obsessed with Twitter, so she'd love for you to follow her @sarah_nicolas. Tumblr is her newest favorite distraction. Sarah and her sister, Kayelee, can be seen vlogging every Saturday at the YA Rebels.

KELLEY VITOLLO

Kelley Vitollo was one of those girls who dreamed of growing up and writing stories. Young at heart, her passion has always been writing about teens. Now, in her early thirties (shh, don’t tell), she’s finally working on making that dream come true. Her YA novel, LET'S GET PHYSICAL is currently on submission. She recently finished FREEING CARTER, a book that is extremely close to her heart.

She has a passion for character-driven stories and is a total romantic at heart. In her books, she adores exploring the whole journey of falling in love; from stolen glances, to innocent touches, and ultimately falling head-over-heels in love.

When not writing or devouring books by some of her favorite authors like Sarah Ockler, Cassandra Clare, and Jenny Han (amongst others), you can find her online at her personal blog or on twitter at @KelleyVitollo. Kelley lives in sunny Southern California with her incredible husband and two beautiful daughters.

KELLEY YORK

Kelley York has been a writer and artist for as long as she can remember, and she has a goofy-looking trophy from a first grade story contest to attest to that. She has always been fascinated with character creation and story-telling, leaning toward the dark and slightly morbid side of things in her writing. She's married to a fantastic wife who puts up with all her craziness.

Within young adult, she enjoys writing and reading a variety of genres. The darker, the better. Give her tragic characters and sympathetic villains all the way. Romance is super, but it takes the back-burner to great character development and growth. Kelley likes chasing her characters up trees and pelting them with rocks (and small explosives) before giving them their happily ever afters.

Kelley's dark YA thriller, HUSHED, is now available from Entangled Publishing.

Kelley keeps her own blog at Flowers for Ghosts, and you can follow her on Twitter, @elixing.

A ten point Harry Potter 7 Review with no Spoilers

Well I went got to see Harry Potter 7 five days after it came out. Managed to avoid most spoilers, except for one on Twitter (gggrrrrr TWITTER!). So I decided to do some fun observations with no spoilers:

1. This was the best adaption from the book series so far.
2. Where the heck did they hide Ralph Fiennes nose?!
3. Dobby should have been in more of the movies. He got heaps of laughs and was in Harry's words "brilliant."
4. Daniel Radcliffe at times appears to have a small mouth in proportion to the rest of his face.
5. I lost track of how many times I teared up.
6. I kept thinking how grown up Daniel Radcliffe looked, and then taller men would be in scenes and he looked so young again.
7. Emma Watson nailed it.
8. The scenery was amazingly gorgeous!
9. There is a scene that I thought "I don't remember THAT in the book." (You'll know it when you see it)
10. I discovered what a fan I am as I went 2 1/2 hours without taking a pee!

So there you have it - no telling you what you already know from the book, and the fantastic interpretation that you don't know about.

So if you are going to comment - respect the no spoilers rule. =P

Riding on a wave of inspiration

I love Saturdays. I ride out to Eimeo Beach, thinking about the story I'm currently writing. Scenes flash through my head, dialogue goes round and around in my mind, continuity issues get identified and sometimes new ideas poke their way in. I daydream and somehow manage not to get run over (and I've learnt the trick to avoid getting swooped by the magpies without wearing those antenna looking things from my helmet).

When I finally coast into the carpark, hubby is normally already there setting up the beach (yes I'm a crazy woman who does a 30 minute ride when the rest of her family take a 10 minute drive). I jump in the beach buggy as he sets up the flags, still letting the thoughts from the ride roll around in my head.

We do the stinger drags, throwing back the fish we inadvertently catch and checking for any deadly box jellyfish and irukandji jellyfish (we hae a month hopefully before they hit our beaches). Then I usually get to go off by myself, settle into a chair with a view of the ocean and write for a solid hour - a luxury that I don't get very often at home unless I stay up into the wee hours of the morning.

Then I go get lunch from Nemos Fish Bar. They make the best fish burgers, according to my husband and eldest son and I can honestly say I do not ever remember having a nicer piece of takeaway fish.

After feasting on fish and salad, I laze around with family (also prodding my youngest to finish his lunch, which can be a 30 minute job). This then brings me to an important junction, another hour of writing or reading on the beach. Either way, the lapping waves and idyllic beach setting are a great backdrop. Today is was overcast and my writing groove was on so I opted to keep writing. Once my writing/reading hour is up it's more family time.

When it's time for hubby to start packing up the beach, I get back on the bike for the ride home, which is always quicker than the ride there. Again the stories rolls through my head, along with the occasional blog post,

Next week I'm changing up my routine a bit as I am going outrigging. There's a social out rigging group that is out when we turn up in the mornings so I'm taking advantage of trying something new. Hopefully being out on the water will provide a different inspirational experience (I feel an ocean story brewing) and it doesn't just leave me too exhausted that I end up drooling on my laptop.

Life after NaNoWriMo: A guide for aspiring writers

How are YOUR NaNoWriMo stories going? I see a lot of my writing friends and acquaintances are powering through for the “win” and will no doubt have a great first draft come the end of the month. But then what?


What ever you do – DO NOT QUERY!

I’ve seen the agents on Twitter bracing for the onslaught in December of “I’ve just finished my NaNoWriMo project and I thought I’d query you…”

AHHHHH! When did competing in NaNoWriMo give people a licence to throw query etiquette out the window?

So inspired by a tweet from agent Suzie Townsend here are a few things for you to remember for November and the upcoming months:

November: Don’t forget this is also NaNoAlphaMo. Send it to your alpha reader for feedback and inspiration as you write (I have already done this and it doubled my word count).

December: NaNoReviseMo (love ya work Suzie). Go through your first draft with a fine tooth comb looking for improvements, not just for copy editing but also characters, plot and dialogue. Note December is also NaAgentsBusyMo and not a good time to query in general.

January: NaNoBetaMo. Get your second draft to your Beta Editor for some friendly editing and feedback. I am blessed with a couple of Beta Editors – who I love to bits.

February: NaNo2ndReviseMo. Go through your Beta Editors comments and rework your story into a third draft. Depending on how you work this may be enough revision to have a great novel. But you can keep bouncing back with your Beta & Alpha editors if you think can refine your work even more.

March: NaNoQueryMo! Time to query, but only if you think your novel is in the BEST condition it can be. Realistically it may be many more months into the year before you are ready.

On a personal note from me: my NaNoWriMo went out the window with a phone call – the worst phone call of my life. My friends and blog followers know my dad was ill with terminal cancer. On 1 November at 1.30pm (& 400 words into my NaNoWriMo project) my dad passed away and I basically stopped writing. I dropped everything to race to my mother’s side, some 900km away. While I was away I did write a flash fiction, The first night without you here, to help me deal with the fall out of Dad’s death.

I have started back on my NaNoWriMo project Dirty Rainbow; even though I know I am in no position to “win” this year. I’m rather excited because it’s a Utopian story, something I’ve never tried before.

I want to thank all my virtual friends on Twitter, Facebook and Inkpop who have given me support in the months after we found out about Dad’s cancer and since his passing. It is easy to feel alone at times like this but you all made sure I felt anything but alone.

Dreaming of words

I love dreaming - especially in that moment just before slumber takes you. That is when my mind runs free and ideas flow. Sometimes I have had to stir from my dreams to capture the ideas so they do not escape into the night.

Daydreams too.Oh how I love them. Driving in the car to and from work - with the music cranked up normally. Lying on the beach I have dozed and the daydreams come.

Last night I dreamed about my NaNoWriMo story. I think in part this was because I had emailed the basic plot to my Alpha editor yesterday and she came back with a myriad of questions. Which was great as I am setting it in the future and there are a lot of different things to consider.

I let the story consume me, trying to not be distracted by the other ideas bouncing around in my head. It's happened before where I've been focused on story and other ideas creep in. I thought I had made

great ground on my NaNoWriMo story a few days ago and then realised it was a different story I had set in the future. Doh!

Embrace your dreams and strange ideas, you never know how much someone else will enjoy reading what your mind can create.

NaNoWriMo - getting my writing groove back

I had been banging my head against a brick wall with writer's block in October. The story I had been writing like a fiend I had to take a break from as I need to do some serious research and consultation on. I had other story ideas but getting the words out of my head and onto paper (or into my computer) has been like pulling teeth.

Partly it's because I've been distracted by what's going on with Dad and his cancer. Ever since I saw him last, so withered and frail, I've been able to thing of little else. I managed to write a short story in June after seeing him, but I think that's because he still looked liked Dad rather than someone who is about to die.

So lots of my writing friends are doing NaNoWriMo and I thought I'd check it out. Looking through the website I figured it was just what I needed. The story I really wanted to work on is already underway - and I was not going to do this half-arsed. I had a couple of other stories with small bits already written but my Utopian concept, Dirty Rainbow, was still just in my mind.

Then the images started flowing. I read a bit of The Ideas Factory, aimed at helping writers get their groove on, and it said to live your idea. I've been thinking about Dirty Rainbow before I go to sleep at night and while driving in the car, and the story keeps getting further developed in my mind.

I've made some brief notes on characters (surnames are particularly important - I wonder if anyone will notice why) and started to develop the "world". But I am hanging out to get the prose flowing. Hopefully this will get me back in my writing groove.

Dirty Rainbow
Humans have evolved and the world is perfect, or is it. Women took control of world politics, ended war, disease and hunger. With this came an adaption of the human race - men died out and women learnt to procreate without men. They also evolved to be perfect in every way, no one is ugly, everyone is healthy The population is smaller, more manageable and peaceful.


Jenna should be happy, like everyone else. But she's bored and longs for adventure. Then a mysterious family moves in next door. Their daughter is home schooled, and rebuffs Jenna's attempts at friendship. What starts as an innocent investigation into mysterious neighbours unravels an international secret.

 Your NaNoWriMo
So what are you doing? Got a story figured out? Something you've wanted to write for years? A brand new idea?

My NaNoWriMo Page (from here you can get in and sign up)
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user%252F690703

Other Blog Posts on NaNoWriMo

http://blog.nanowrimo.org/

http://www.marybrebner.com/2010/10/nano-ing-yay-for-national-novel-writing.html

http://lunathetypewriter.blogspot.com/2010/10/countdown-to-nanowrimo-day-two-writing.html

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/10/nanowrimo-boot-camp-choosing-right-idea.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NathanBransford+%28Nathan+Bransford+-+Literary+Agent%29

http://annasensetakesflight.blogspot.com/2010/10/calling-all-storytellers-its-nanowrimo.html

I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!

A shadow of his former self

This is not a writing post today; this is a personal post.

I have just gotten home from a long and hard journey and wanted to share the experience. People who have read my earlier post Drawing Inspiration From Death know that my family have been affected by cancer. What I didn't share in my previous post was that it is my father.

A few moths ago my grandmother died. About two weeks after she passed away we found out my dad had stomach cancer, and it was not a good outlook. Our only hope was chemo. Dad had to undergo a short stint to chemo and if that worked he would continue on it for six months. If not, then there was nothing that could be done.

The chemo didn't work; it kept growing.

Since we found out we have tried to make the most of the time that we have. Initially the doctor said we could have 12 months, but now it's clear that's not the case.

I'm glad that in the mid-year holidays we chose to stay with my parents on the coast and commute to Brisbane for my son's rugby league carnival. I'm glad I convinced Dad to come and see my son play at that carnival. I'm glad that my parents came up to visit us after Dad's chemo treatment finished. I'm glad I visited Dad for Father's Day. And I'm glad that I just took my boys to see him for the last time this weekend.

It had been six weeks since I had last seen Dad, and he was no longer the same person. His body has been ravaged by the cancer. He is so thin and weak. He actually looked alien to me. But he also wasn't all there mentally. I'm not sure if that was because of the opium patches that they have him on or whether the cancer has gotten to his mind too. Dad kept forgetting things, getting confused and not really paying attention to what was going on around him. The biggest change was his sleep patterns. He needed to sleep a lot.  Watching him I wanted to cry.

But I didn't cry around Dad. He's not into mushy stuff. We spent time watching my son's man-of-the-match grandfinal performance, talking about how well both the boys are going at school, karate and nippers and how my quest to get my novel published is progressing (for the first time ever he didn't say to me "don't quit your day job"). I tried to spend every moment he was a wake with him as I knew this may be the last time I see him alive.

Originally I wanted to work out of my parents' home in his last days, but it was clear this visit that if I did that it wouldn't be respecting his wishes. He doesn't like being seen like this and just wants Mum. I understand that and will respect that.

The morning we were leaving Dad went back to bed before everyone was up and I hugged him and told him I loved him in case it was the last time I saw him. I'm not sure if it even registered for him. Then I went out the back and cried. Mum joined me not long after and for the first time since we found out about Dad's cancer we held each other and just let it all out.

Dad is Mum's soul mate. They have been together forty years. Mum knew when she say him that he was the man she would marry. They had so many plans for their retirement, they were going to grow really old together. Now Mum has to be alone.

I was so glad Dad did wake up again before we left and my husband and sons also got to say goodbye. And I got to say goodbye again.I'm so glad we took the time to make the trip down to see them as I think Dad really enjoyed seeing the boys, and I know Mum enjoyed watching Dad with the boys.

This disease really plays havoc on families. But if you are strong together you can pull through it.

How to get a date with a fireman

Sex in YA stories - what YA readers & writers have to say on it

Earlier this week my friend and I were discussing sex in YA and whether or not teens expect sex to be included in a novel.

 I'm not for arbitrary censorship personally, (believe everything has it's place in the right context), but I have seen first hand that not all YA readers are comfortable reading about sex.

Sex should be plot driven for me when in stories (obviously erotica is another kettle of fish cause sex is kinda the point of the book). There are times when the story simply can't occur without sex. I decided to test her theory on members of the YA Writer's community I'm part of. So let's find out (please respect people's right to opinions in comments):


Ellen
Age 15
Writer and Reader of YA
writingsmydrug.blogspot.com

It's honestly a matter of opinion as to whether or not you could bring yourself to read, or write, a 'sex' scene in a YA novel. Naturally, sex scenes can only be implicated in YA novels, you're not allowed to go into any detail. My parents aren't married and have been together for seventeen years and have two children. Being brought up I don't mind sex outside of marriage.

But I don't think that means you should 'jump around' so to speak. Naturally with what I’ve been brought up I don’t mind implied sex scenes in novels; as long as they have some major contribution to the story. In YA novels today you do see a lot of casual sex, and I don’t agree with that part of it.

For me, if it means something to the characters and adds to the plot (sub or main) then I don’t mind reading about it. But there's a responsibility of the reader as well when taking on novels with implied sex scenes, or even adult sex scenes.

Pearl

Age 13

Reader of YA

I don't think that there should be any sex scenes in YA books. And I agree with Nana_Hassan that we have to consider that your book will be out there for the world to read. Some people may be comfortable with it, and some might not. To me, kissing and romance are fine, but having sex in books make me feel squeamish. Also, it's not right, especially pre-marital sex. It wouldn't be teaching any morals in the YA. That's what I truthfully think. And being a Christian... well, it just adds to the fact that sex in books for the YA should not be allowed.

Nana
Age 14

Reader of YA

I believe that sex shouldn't be allowed in YA, because it is just not right. This is my opinion. I mean, you have to consider that your book will be out there for the world to read, and some younger people coould stumble across it by mistake. You can imagine the consequences. Romance, is fine, kisses too, but sex shouldn't be described in full detail or otherwise. I'm not critiscizing anyone here. Just my opinion.

Ash

Age 20

Writer and reader of YA

Sex in YA is always controversial. In fact, I had some Texan told me I was going to hell because of the sex in my book (which, by the way, is non-existent, I think she had more of a problem with the language). Generally, I don’t always want to read it. I think some it can be absolutely ridiculous (AKA House of the Night) but then also there’s a place for it. Take Twilight, three and a half books of pure sexual tension and then ‘I woke up’ and the deed is done? That’s a cop out by the author not being able to write appropriately for teenagers.

Ariel Marie
Age 19

Writer and reader of YA and comic book obsessed

The controversy of sex in YA novels comes most likely because of age. Even if premarital sex is introduced in a novel, that does not necessarily make it a bad thing. Once I heard somebody complain about how sex in such novels is a disgrace, it makes sex look awesome and corrupts the youth.

But at the same time, my dad wanted to introduce me to such a situations to make sure I wasn’t naive in middle school. He started to show me such movies as Revenge of the Nerds, explaining that I had to understand the way that boys thought. Meanwhile, my mom told me to read a book called Forever by Judy Blume because it explained what happened to a girl after she lost her virginity.

By portraying such scenes in a certain way can help people in the future instead of hiding sex completely creating a surprise in the real world. Not only boys but girls take advantage over those who may be sheltered, not understanding such words or questions that involve sex creating a problem. Even though it’s not a novel, a great example is a teen movie, Mean Girls. A boy asks the main character if her ‘muffin has been buttered’ but she has no understanding of what this means. If sex or even the language in general is allowed more in YA novels, it can be used to help avoid such events.

Joanna

Age 17

Writer and reader of YA

Sex in YA...an interesting and touch subject. There seem to be two extremes for it - a) it's fine, teens have it, or b) it's wrong and shouldn't be discussed. Personally, I don't at all think it should be in any form of public entertainment, as I believe that sex is to be saved for marriage, and kept secret. People aren't designed to have sex before marriage.

To have it in a YA book is often an encouragement of young adults to have it, even if it's against their parent's wishes. And, it's simply not an image that one should have presented in their head often because they read it in a book. Sex is like dessert. If you have before marriage (dinner) your appetite is spoiled.

 

 
Sherri
Age 19
Writer and reader of YA

Sex is part of life. It happens every day, whether we like it or not. Here's a secret. Are you ready? Let me whisper it for you. Censoring Sex isn't going to stop it from happening. Teenagers are still going to do it. We need to stop feeding them this sparkly vampire (oh yeah, by the way - SEX in Twilight. Spoiler right there.), fantasy crap and give teens the TRUTH about the world.

Guess what? It's not a pretty place all the time. I got told off by someone because my latest project talks about sexual abuse. Guess what? It happens. Don't like it? Too dang bad, we don't live in a perfect world. People turn a blind eye and don't want to believe the evils of the world.

Frankly, I'm sick of it. I'll pick up Ellen Hopkins books (she talks about Prostitution in one of her books, incest and sexual abuse in another) or the book Speak (talks about Rape) over this stupid fantasy crap any day. I understand hating books that are like "oh everyone go have sex at fifteen!" But I do support those trying to show people what to avoid. As a YA reader and author, I don't think we need to censor this stuff at all.

Kristen

Age 23

Senior Creative Writing Major & YA Writer and Reader

I see nothing wrong with sex in YA, whether it's a tasteful scene or dialogue on the subject, if it's within context of the characters and story. The more teenagers are informed and exposed to sexual subjects in other mediums, the less likely they will go off and do something foolish. Am I saying all YA books must have sex? Of course not, but having characters talk about sex is more realistic than if the issue is skirted altogether. The heroine in the book series I'm working on has sex towards the end of book one, but it's something in context with her character, where she is at that point in the story, and something she knows she wants to do.

I always reference the Judy Blume classic FOREVER when discussing sex in YA, which is perhaps the most realistic view of teen love and sex. Blume wrote the book for her teenage daughter who, "...asked me for a story about two nice kids who have sex without either of them having to die. She had read several novels about teenagers in love. If they had sex, the girl was always punished - an unplanned pregnancy, a hasty trip to a relative in another state, a grisly abortion, sometimes even death. Lies. Secrets. Girls in these books had no sexual feelings and boys had no feelings other than sexual."

FOREVER has been a challenged since perhaps the 1980's for its suggestive nature, detailed (but not gratuitous) sex scenes, and the fact the protagonist, Katherine, goes on the pill, and, well, let me just quote the wonderful Ms. Blume again, "The 70s was a much more open decade in America. Forever was used in several school programmes then, helping to spur discussions of sexual responsibility. This would never happen today. How are young people supposed to make thoughtful decisions if they don't have information and no one is willing to talk with them? Girls and boys have to learn to say 'no' or 'not without a condom' without fear."

Glenna
Age 13
Writer and Reader of YA

I think that within a certain boundary, it’s fine to put sex scenes in YA fiction. People are people, and generally people are going to do it. As long as it isn’t overdone, I don’t think it’s an issue. I also don’t think that authors should go into extreme detail about it. These are teens that are reading, teens that may still be virgins, and it maybe a bit jarring, even for the most jaded of us.


I’ve read a few books where sex scenes were inserted, and they all seemed to have the same reason why they fit and seemed appropriate: none of them went into detail.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people get worked up when there are these sorts of scenes in YA novels, saying that they’re inappropriate. A lot of the time, these people are adults. I know that they may be parents and might not want their kids exposed to that sort of thing, but as for if younger teens mind, I doubt that many do. Also, if used the way that I already talked about, it would be completely non-scarring.

I hope that's Batman

Hello Mary Sue, have you met Gary Stu?

Mary Sue was a nice young girl, dancing around in the world of Star Trek fanfiction with her boyfriend Gary Stu, but slowly she started drifting out of the world of fanfiction and into author pages.

So who is Mary Sue? A Mary Sue character is something you want to avoid as a writer. They are characters who are just too perfect with everything turning up roses for them. She has the Midas touch, gets all the guys, does nothing wrong and is the author's pet. And readers spot her a mile away and go running for the hills.

Nowadays a Mary Sue/Gary Stu can also include a character that acts as an author surrogate - a character that inflicts the creators personal beliefs onto the reader - or a cliched character in desperate need of a make over.

It doesn't matter if you are writing about aliens, paranormal creatures or 'regular folk', characters need to have flaws. If a character overcomes every obstacle put before them with ease, how is that entertaining the reader? Ho hum, he beat that troll with his his bare hands - boring. Oh now she has five guys chasing after her. She's so beautiful, but doesn't know it. Gah! How are we meant to like this chick?

People want variety, they want originality. They don't want to have a stock standard girl/guy pop up in every book they read. It's important to not follow 'trends' for your heroes or villains. It can be hard as there is only a set number of hair colours and eye colours to choose from, however all the best friends' characters don't have to have red hair. Nor does the MC have to have green eyes.

Make your characters original, make them pop from the pages for your writers. Give them someone new and refreshing to fall in love with.

If you want to know if you have written a Mary Sue/Gary Stu in your story try this test (I passed!!):

http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm

More info on Mary Sues and how to avoid them:
http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm
http://www.bast-enterprises.de/ranma/MarySue.html
http://www.fictionpress.com/s/1440163/1/
http://www.ravenswing.com/~eshva/rants/mary_sue.htm
http://www.fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue30/marysue.htm

Do YOU have zombies in your back yard?

Query-go-rounding respectfully

I recently finalised my manuscript and am jumping on the query-go-round (let's see how dizzy I get) so I am doing A LOT of research into agents. So I've been compiling information on potential agents through a number of sources (check out at the bottom of the blog), stalking agents and authors on Twitter and have pitches going through my brain like crazy.

On one agent I follow made a tweet that indicated they had received a query addressed to "Dear so and so" and I was like SERIOUSLY?! And it got me thinking about form queries.

You might get lucky with a stock standard query, but for the most part I think agents will see through it. If you have nothing in there that shows why you want them specifically as an agent then why would they want you as a client?

For me I'm not just querying every single agent who has represented YA.  Just because I write it and they represent it doesn't mean we'll be a good match. My field is speculative fiction and there are a lot of YA agents who aren't into that. I am wasting my time and the agent's time if I query them and they don't want speculative fiction.

For the query letters I have been drafting, it has been a really slow process because I don't just want to show the agent why I want to be their client specifically, I want to show them why they would be interested in my story and myself specifically. What is it about Mishca that would attract them the most? For some it's the romance as that is their focus, for others it's the darker elements of the story and for some it's the fact that I have a unique hook that is not currently in the YA market.

Although it can take LOTS of queries to get a deal, you don't want to query 100 agents at once. Word could get around town and you don't want to get a bad reputation as a serial pest. Most agents understand that you are going to query a fair few agents but stagger it rather than bombard everyone at once.

While I am not signed yet, I have scored a manuscript requests from a really good publisher after I was fortunate enough to meet with an editor a month ago. The editor at the publisher specifically mentioned how great my pitch was. Here's hoping agents can see the potential the publisher has seen so far.  AND here's hoping it leads to more!

In the meantime here's some tips for researching and writing a great query letter:

1. Look for websites that have agents listed in your genre well before you want to query.
2. Make a list of potential agents and look for social networking opportunities (Twitter, Facebook) and set up a query tracker spreadsheet.
3. Take note of their social networking posts (conferences they are attending, online chat/question sessions opportunities, pet query peeves, what they are looking for).
4. Look for agent interviews with them - it will show you if you are a good fit for them as a client AND if they are a good fit for you (do you want an editorial agent, are you looking for a long-term career as a writer and want an agent who is interested in developing you as a writer, do they take debut writers).
5. Take note of some information that would help personalize (but try not to be stalkerish about it).
6. Think about what in your story would be specifically attractive to that agent.
7. Look for query letter examples that won the agent over.
8. Proof read your letter as well as your story.
9. DON'T send a query until your story is ready.  Preferably have a Beta Editor who really knows what their doing or even pay a professional to check your work. There are lots of online critique opportunities nowadays as well.
10. Check if the agent's response time frame or if they don't respond at all. Some agents tweet/blog where they are up to time wise for queries. This can help.
11. Don't send a narky response if you get rejected or ask for feedback if the agent haven't supplied any.

I once read that it's good to send out about 10 - 15 queries at first then send out a new query for every rejection that comes in.

Aspiring writers should all know that this is a tough gig. Nothing happens over night, there's a huge amount of waiting involved and not everyone wants to take you on as a client - sad but true fact. But let's not forget that agents are people too. They're not robots at the end of an email waiting to make your life hard. They're looking for a story that they feel passionate about enough to take it to a publisher and say "you need to make this into a book - it will sell."

Here's some great links to help find agents and for more query advice (primarily I look at sites for YA but some are universal):

Agents Listings:

If you write YA this is one of the best sources of information: http://caseylmccormick.blogspot.com/
Fantastic site. Subscribe for alerts on new agents and tips: http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/
A massive database to help you find agents that may be a fit for you: http://agentquery.com/

For Industry and Query Advice:

http://nathanbransford.com/
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/
http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/
http://www.camarshall.com/

Signature styling

What's your signature styling? Have you given your characters a signature style?

I'm not talking about signing your name - but the clothes they wear, how they where their hair or any other factoid that they may be "known" for. 


Seriously get stalked when I wear these shoes


For me, I am known for my taste in shoes.  Seriously! I have been stalked by women who are either admiring my shoes or trying to catch up to ask me where I got them from. The ladies where I buy my lunch love to check out my shoes and hang out for when I wear new ones. My love of shoes may have something to do with the fact I worked at a shoe shop when I was a teenager.

This topic might seem like an excuse to show off my shoe collection, but there is more too it than that for your writing. If you want to make a character memorable then it's a good idea to give them some signature character traits, something that makes them stand out from other characters. It doesn't have to be simply clothing, it could be hairstyles, things that collect or personality traits.

People watching is a good way to ascertain traits that make people stand out. There is a work colleague of mine who regularly changes her hair colour.  Every time I visit her office I'm always interested to see what "new hairdo" she will be sporting.

Sometimes people have catch phrases that they use over and over again. My brother-law continually says "indeed" in conversations. A guy a work with greets me on the phone with "Hey what's happening." Dialogue can be a good place to differentiate your characters.

Personal habits can be another defining feature. A woman I know has a habit of pursing her lips then twitching her mouth from side to side. Other people chew their nails, fiddle with their hair, tap their feet, wrinkle their noses or bit their lip when nervous or worried.

These little idiosyncrasies are part of what creates a complete persona for characters and we need to consider these types of things when writing.



And to finish off on, my hybrid boots
that get lots of attention

 It's not surprising that I've made the title character from my first novel Mishca, a lover of shoes.  Most writers have a bit of author insertion in their debut novel. My second novel's main character Leena is not so fussed about footwear but lives in drill pants and work shirts with her job as an environmental consultant. She also likes her personal spaces and has a bit of a potty mouth.

Sometimes you can plan your characters' traits by creating bios for them. Other times they just evolve as you write. Just make sure you don't have flat Mary-Sues or Gary Stus. Make a rich character with a unique voice and qualities that set them apart.

You can Beta me up all you want

A lot of writers starting out think "Hmmm I know I'll write a story," bang out some words and "Hey presto, done."

The truth is there's not many people that can write a kick-ass first draft that needs very little work, but for a complete novel that's even more unlikely. The phrase has been tossed around a bit about it taking a village to raise a child being the same as for writers. Well folks, they're not lying.

Writers use various review/revision techniques based on what works for them. Here's my process:

Alpha Reader: My muse, my cheerleader and "She-who-must-not-be-named" is also my Alpha reader. She reads my work as I write, badgers me for more chapters, helps pick up issues early on and offers ideas for plots and storylines.

My Alpha reader is one of my closest friends, who is also so painfully shy that I am never allowed to name her. She is a lover of books, a devourer of the written work, a bit of a grammar dork and a very interesting subject who has inspired two characters in two of the book's I'm currently working on. She has loved my work from the beginning - before I seriously thought I could be a published author for a career.  In fact, she was the one who insisted I try to get Mishca published. Up until then I wrote to get the ideas out of my head.

Friends & Family Beta Readers:
How lucky am I that my sister is a high school English teacher?! My sister, my mum and another close friend also read my work after my first draft is done. For me this is a very light copy edit and some directional advice, but mainly cheer leading to encourage me.

Critique Groups:
I'm part of what could be considered an on-line critique group through a YA writers' community called Inkpop. It's great to get some feedback from some fellow writers.  But they don't normally go through the full manuscript with you, just more a feel for the plot and some general feedback.

Serious Writers Beta Readers:
Man, how did I get so lucky again?! I ended up with three Beta Readers for Mishca who all brought something different to the table. I once read how important it is to have a Beta Editor who is a writer.  How in the world do you manage that. Well I have two through Inkpop. Wendy, who has formal writing qualifications, helped me pick up on where I needed to expand and gave me great encouragement.  Evie - who is self-taught, gave me a direct line into the mind of an American teen, which allowed me to make Mishca more universal. Katrina - who is formally qualified and a former academic in literature, helped me pull my manuscript apart and put it back together, in a much improved version.

Copy/sub Editor:
Often we just can't see our own mistakes. But if you want to send your manuscript to an agent or an editor and be taken seriously then you need your work to be the best it can be.  I was lucky that Katrina doubled as my copy editor, but if you don't know someone who is professionally trained and has the time and dedication then there are lots of firms that copy edit novels.

I know that this may seem like a scary process to some, having your work go through so many sets of hands, but the fact is that it will go through lots of hands with agents and publishers as well.

So I hope that was helpful, but in case you are a devourer of blogs and want more, here are some other sites with some great info on the process:

http://www.karencollum.com.au/novel/beta-reader-bliss
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2010/07/importance-of-self-editing.html
http://www.bubblecow.co.uk/2010/07/tips-for-editing-your-own-novel/
http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2010/05/fanmail-qa-beta-readers-2/
http://fictiongroupie.blogspot.com/2010/09/crit-groups-v-beta-readers-what-works.html
http://oldpeoplewritingforteens.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/the-ins-and-outs-of-beta-readers/
http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/blog/2010/04/29/thoughts-on-the-editing-process/

And one for Beta Readers themselves - http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2010/06/alpha-beta-cappa-oh-hell-i-was-never-in.html

Pre-publishing promotions for aspiring writers

I've just read the latest post on Rachelle Gardner's blog Rants and Ramblings: Life of a Literary Agent with guest blogger Sue Harrison and it inspired this post. http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/09/good-old-days.html

Promoting before your published

I've seen how much work so many established and debut authors put into promotion for their upcoming book. Even the best selling authors who don't have to push anymore to make sales still understand the importance of connecting with readers and are active in social networking. Cassandra Clare is a good example of this - https://twitter.com/cassieclare


For me personally, I'm not at the stage of selling my work to the public, I'm still at the stage where I'm promoting my work to agents and publishers in the hope of establishing myself as a writer and getting Mishca into stores. It can be hard for Australian writers as our local market is so small. Our bookstore shelves are often dominated by international bestsellers and a high profile editor confirmed for me that we are producing less local books nowadays. But as an Aussie writer I still have a good chance of securing a publishing deal before I get a local agent (as long as my writing resonates with an editor) because:

1. Our small market means that most local agents have a full list of clients already.
2. Publishers in Australia have begun to open up for direct submissions, including two of the biggest publishers in Australia.

While good writing will always speak for itself, showing agents and publishers that you have the willingness and drive to promote yourself and your work can help you get a foot in the door. With just a few clicks they can research you on any web-based forum and see how you promote yourself.

Something I have done to help promote my work has been the use of a YA writer's community to promote my work. Having 700 or so positive comments from your target audience and being voted as one of the most popular stories out of thousands of pieces of work on a YA site is great market research to present to a potential agent or publisher. Especially for agents and publishers in Australia as I can show there is international interest in purchasing my work.

It's been a pretty good marketing tool for me in some respects as it has helped me attract the interest of one of the biggest publishers in Australia, who have asked me to bypass the regular submission process and send my full manuscript when I've finished my revisions (almost done - thank you Beta Readers!). However I am still on the lookout for an agent, but that is on hold until I complete my latest revisions. I'd prefer to have an agent before I submit because I know that then there is someone in the industry who believes in my work and can guide me through the process. But considered I will be querying at the same time I submitting to the publisher I can't see it happening.

I believe the promotion aspect of the business is just as important before you "make it". Blogs, Facebook and Twitter have helped a lot of people make connections. I have read of a number of cases where people's online presence has lead success outside of the virtual realm. Hello - Juno! Get you're self out into cyberspace in a positive way, cause you never know who's lurking.

Knowing how hard the industry is I haven't gotten ahead of myself to start planning Mishca's launch party yet. But I hope to emulate Paranormalcy's author Keirsten White, who has come up with some unique promotional ideas that have helped create book buzz before she even hit the shelves. http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/

So while my strategy of collecting market research for a fiction novel before publication has gotten me a foot in a door for a publisher, I know it will be my writing that must ultimately clinch the deal so - back to revisions I go (well to bed actually as it's 1am in The Land Down Under).

Importance of writers conferences

Last weekend I went to my first writer's conference.  I have been to a truckload of conferences on communications and consultation, but never a creative writing conference.  I'll get into specifics of what I learnt in follow-up blogs but this post looks more generally at benefits for writers in attending conferences.

My first conference was the CYA (Children's & Young Adult) Conference in Brisbane as part of the Brisbane Writers Festival - http://www.cyaconference.com/

Immediately I noticed the comradeship - "Hey you write for kids or YA, me too, give us a hug." Okay it wasn't a big hug fest but you get the idea.  The writers there have formed a great community and they support one another.  It was great to feel part of the community.

Then the different sessions were amazing.  So much to choose from, so much variety.  There was always a session that was useful for further yourself as a writer. I have a stackload of notes to share in upcoming blogs.

The next bit is networking.  How many times have you heard it said that in the publishing world it can come down to who you know.  Agents and publishers attend conferences like this to ferret out new talent.  There are quite often pitch sessions as well where you can pay a bit extra to have one-on-one time with an editor or agent.  That can be like striking gold.  But you also get to see these professionals socially throughout the day.

So if you can get to a conference as you will get the opportunity to:
Hone your writing skills

• Meet some kick-ass industry people
• Make awesome connections
• Become part of a community
• Get your face and work out there.

There are lots of conferences and writers festivals all year round, so hopefully you can find one near you.  Check out your local writers centre as they keep details on upcoming event.